- Entry type: Person
- Entry ID: AWE1587
Grusovin, Deirdre Mary
(1938 – )- Nationality Australian
- Born 1 September, 1938, Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Occupation Librarian, Parliamentarian, Politician
Summary
Deirdre Grusovin was a member of the New South Wales parliament for twenty five years. Initially she was elected to the NSW Legislative Council (1978) and remained in office until 1990. During this time Deirdre was appointed Minister for Consumer Affairs and Assistant Minister for Health 1986-88 and Minister for Small Business 1987-88. In 1990 she ran in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Heffron by election and was again successful. She was re-elected in 1991, 1995 and 1999, retiring in 2003.
Details
Deirdre Grusovin was born in Sydney in 1938 and educated at the Lady of the Sacred Heart College, Kensington. She worked as a Librarian for the Randwick Municipal Council from 1957 to 1962. She married Walter Grusovin in 1962 (he died September 2004) and they have seven children, three daughters and four sons. From 1962 until her election to the Legislative Council of New South Wales, in 1978, she managed the family pharmacy business.
Deirdre Grusovin served twelve years in the Legislative Council, holding the positions of Minister for Consumer Affairs and Assistant Minister for Health, and Minister for Small Business in the Unsworth Ministry. She became Deputy Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council in July 1986 and then Deputy Leader of the Opposition from March 1988 to 1990 when she resigned from the Legislative Council to contest the seat of Heffron.
Deirdre Grusovin is the sister of Laurence Brereton, her predecessor in the seat of Heffron and later MHR for Kingsford-Smith. She was elected to the Legislative Assembly in June 1990 and held the seat until her retirement in March 2003.
She joined the ALP 1957 and was assistant secretary of NSW Youth Council of the party from 1959 to 1961. She was a member of the Administrative Committee of the ALP in 1985 and was a delegate from New South Wales to the Australian Labor Party National Conference in 1986. She was the first woman Chairman of St Margaret’s Hospital Advisory Board.
Events
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2016 - 2016
For significant service to the Parliament and the community of New South Wales, to education administration, and to social welfare.
Member of the Order of Australia (AM)
Published resources
- Book Section
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Resource
- Trove: Grusovin, Deirdre Mary (1938-), http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-728089
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Site Exhibition
- Putting Skirts on the Sacred Benches: Women Candidates for the New South Wales Parliament, Australian Women's Archives Project, 2006, http://www.womenaustralia.info/exhib/pssb/home.html